1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a driving technique for a fluorescent tube, more particularly, to a driving apparatus for a hot-cathode fluorescent tube, a method thereof and an illumination apparatus using the same.
2. Description of Related Art
Fluorescent tubes are generally used as illumination apparatus in daily life, wherein straight long tube type (hot-cathode) fluorescent tubes are most commonly used, and the fluorescent tubes have different tube diameters of T3, T5, T8 and T9 in specification. However, regardless of the fluorescent tube of the T3, T5, T8 or T9 specification, a light emitting principle thereof is the same, by which a tube current induces a mercury vapor to stimulate a fluorescent material on an inner wall of the tube to emit light.
Driving apparatuses of the existing fluorescent tubes (T9/T8/T5/T3) are generally divided into two types, and one type provides none protection mechanism/measure when the fluorescent tube is broken, and another type may provide a shutdown protection mechanism/measure when the fluorescent tube is broken. In detail, when the fluorescent tube installed on a lamp holder is broken, and when the driving apparatus of the fluorescent tube does not provide any protection mechanism/measure, the driving apparatus of the fluorescent tube continuously supplies power to both ends of the broken fluorescent tube. However, a person replacing the fluorescent tube is not necessarily a professional personnel, who may probably replace the fluorescent tube without first turning off a power switch related to the fluorescent tube. Therefore, during a fluorescent tube replacing process, the tube-replacing personnel may have a security problem of electric shock.
On the other hand, when the fluorescent tube installed on the lamp holder is broken, and when the driving apparatus of the fluorescent tube can provide the protection mechanism/measure, the driving apparatus of the fluorescent tube stops supplying power to both ends of the broken fluorescent tube, so that the tube-replacing personnel does not have the security problem of electric shock. However, the lamp holder of the fluorescent lamp is generally installed on the ceiling, and the power switch related to the fluorescent tube is generally installed on a wall, so that when the fluorescent tube is broken and is required to be replaced, since a height of the ceiling is relatively high, the tube-replacing personnel has to replace the broken fluorescent tube with assistance of a ladder.
However, in order to confirm whether the newly installed fluorescent tube is properly installed or whether the newly installed fluorescent tube is usable, the tube-replacing personnel has to first climb down the ladder to switch (i.e. to turn on or turn off) the power switch installed on the wall, so as to determine whether the newly installed fluorescent tube normally emits light. If the newly installed fluorescent tube cannot emit light, it represents that the newly installed fluorescent tube is probably not installed well or is not good, and the tube-replacing personnel has to re-climb up the ladder to fix the fluorescent tube or again replace the broken fluorescent tube, and then climbs down the ladder to switch the power switch installed on the wall to further confirm whether the newly installed fluorescent tube normally emits light.
Therefore, the tube-replacing personnel probably need to repeatedly climb up and down the ladder to successfully replace the fluorescent tube. In this way, not only more time and labor are consumed, there is a potential risk of falling down.